Crusoe is a 1989 film, a variation on the famous story told in Robinson Crusoe, the novel of Daniel Defoe. It is directed by Caleb Deschanel. Although it was only Deschanel's second film as a director, he came to this film with a long list of credits as an award-winning cinematographer: 34 feature films or TV shows, a third of which received industry awards, including five Oscar nominations.[1] His strength in the craft is reflected in a film that is not only visually engaging, but which develops its story with little reliance on spoken words.[2]
Plot
Tidewater, Virginia 1808. The story begins at sea with the main protagonist, Crusoe, en route to Africa to retrieve slaves. His ship runs into a powerful storm, and the entire crew perishes except for Crusoe. He is eventually left on a tropical island, all on his own. Upon his arrival on the island, the castaway discovers that a dog and a small flock of geese have also survived. He befriends the dog, and gains a close ally. He initially encounters many challenges, but Crusoe eventually manages to make himself at ease within the island. He later finds a rifle inside the shipwreck, and, weapon in hand and dog by his side, begins exploring the island. After spending more time on the island, Crusoe stumbles upon a group of tribesmen who are indigenous to the area but not the island. He finds, to his horror, that they are cannibals.
Following this discovery, Crusoe begins chopping down trees in an attempt to build a boat and escape. His plans do not immediately succeed, and he fashions a cavern into a homestead. Subsequently his dog gets sick, and his attempts to cure him fail. Crusoe finds his deprived dog dead the following morning. It starts a period of intense loneliness for Crusoe. Up to that point, he doesn't succeed in perceiving some boats offshore the island. The natives have come to the island for the cremation of their chief and to sacrifice three tribesmen. The chief lies dead on a great branch armchair, which is set ablaze. In the same moment, the throats of two tribesmen are cut, but just before the last killing, Crusoe shoots his rifle dissuading the attention of the cannibals. The sacrifice (Hepburn Graham)escapes along with Crusoe. The two meet by chance in the forest, and the tribesman doesn't react to seeing Crusoe aim his gun at him. Both reach the beach thinking the cannibalistic tribesmen have left on their boats.
From this moment, the tribesman named Lucky starts to trust Crusoe. However, Crusoe doesn't allow Lucky to sleep in the cave with him, and leaves him chained by the ankle outside the cave. The following morning, Crusoe finds Lucky gone. Crusoe sees smoke coming from the place of the sacrifices, where he succeeds in finding the head of Lucky. Crusoe ends up in the trap of another tribesman (Ade Sapara). The tribesman ties him to a tree near his cave. The following day, Crusoe seems to want to take revenge on the tribesman. A pursuit follows, and Crusoe tries to shoot the tribesman which surprises him. At the same time, Crusoe and the tribesman struggle against one another. The two end up in the quick sand. The cannibal succeeds in going out of the mobile sands letting Crusoe sink. Crusoe, by now next to the death, is granted clemency from the cannibal who decides to help Crusoe by lowering him a tree branch. Soon, the two start to collaborate in the local language of the cannibal. Crusoe succeeds in working to understand the intentions of the cannibal. These intentions are to manufacture a small boat to return home with the help of Crusoe. After completing construction on the boat, Crusoe decides to build a second boat. A strange shot however, causes Crusoe to see another approaching ship. From a high ground, Crusoe tries to be seen by the white men. The white men came to the island to capture the cannibal friend of Crusoe. Crusoe however, doesn't waste time and succeeds in making himself hidden on the ship that will take him home. The crew on board it is composed of a scientist, doctor Martin (Michael Higgins), who knows about cannibals and plans to bring the cannibal one to London. Crusoe, however, does not agree with the decision of the scientist, and decides to free his friend without being seen by the crew members. Crusoe leaves the island which makes him realize that liberty and life are precious.
"This is a movie about how an immature, unfeeling money-grubber discovers reverence for life. The narrative is laid out in a series of short scenes (marked by blackouts and simple cuts), that show the changes in Crusoe and the passage of time. Deschanel, who was the cinematographer for Carroll Ballard's 1979 The Black Stallion as well as for The Right Stuff, has an instinct for image magic, his emotionality and his feeling for atmosphere can carry a viewer along. Aidan Quinn's Crusoe is a hippie Christ figure - a young man finding the way to be gentle. He's the right actor for Deschanel's conception. The Robinson Crusoe story has been reimagined so that it's not a wilderness test of survival - it's a stripped down search for values."
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